by Honourable Minister within the Ministry of Public Health, Dr. Karen Cummings
IT is an accepted fact that good nutrition is one of the key elements to a healthy life. You can improve or sustain your health by consuming a balanced diet daily.

You should eat foods that contain essential vitamins and minerals. These foods include fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean meats. Of major importance, is the need for you to consume lots of water. Always remember, you are what you eat.

Tis’ the season to be jolly and merry! As Guyanese, we bring a special element to the way we celebrate Christmas. There are numerous parties and merry-making at this time of the year when our food culture is on full display. Local food and drink are available: be it the Garlic Pork, Pepperpot, Black Cake and Ginger Beer, to name a few of those enticing dishes.

Therefore, it may be difficult to attempt to change your eating habits at this time of year. However, it helps if you focus on small changes, take those changes into the new year, and build on them. Making changes to your diet can also be beneficial if you have diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure that can be made worse by the things you eat and or drink.

There are several things you can do to improve your health through eating healthy, but we will focus on the major ones for now. These are reducing your sugar, salt and fat intake and increasing physical activity.

Sugar intake
Too much sugar leads to overweight and obesity, which are huge problems in Guyana. Being overweight easily exposes an individual to a number of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease. Therefore, it is important that you carefully manage the amount of sugar you consume.
The maximum amount of added sugars you should eat in a day is listed below:

– Men: 37.5 grams or 9 teaspoons
– Women: 25 grams or 6 teaspoons
– Children: less than 25 grams
Most of our foods have sugars in them, but added sugars mean sugars that are added in addition to what they already have. For example: A regular can of fruit juice has 38 grams of sugars which is equal to approximately 9 teaspoons of sugar. Moreover, a 20oz. bottle of soft drink has about 10 teaspoons of sugar.

Because each of the two items takes us over the limit, we should have no more sugar for that particular day.
Staying hydrated is important for good health, especially as we live in a tropical country, but we must choose to drink water or low calorie beverages, such as teas without sugar.

Salt intake
Salty foods and salty seasonings are high in sodium and are major contributors to high blood pressure. Read food labels carefully and watch out for these ingredients: salt, brine, sodium chloride, sodium bicarbonate, monosodium glutamate (MSG), sodium saccharin, and sodium nitrate.

The recommended salt intake for the day is 1 teaspoon.
Most of us consume salt in foods we buy, but it is hidden from us. Pastries such as pine-tarts, cheese-rolls, and patties plus the fast foods we consume have over the amount of salt we need for the day. The ‘creole’ foods we eat have salt or salt products like “aji”, cubes and other ingredients, added to the food for flavour in addition to the salt. Even the soft drinks have sodium added.

The bottom line is that when we buy foods, we have no control or no idea what is added to them. So it is imperative that you check your labels carefully before purchasing food and beverages.

Fats
In the long term, too much fat builds up fatty deposits in our arteries, providing the perfect opportunity for heart attacks, strokes, and life-threatening damage to other organs.
Too much fat makes you overweight and obese. Fat that is not immediately needed is not passed out. It is stored in the fat storage tissues for future use and when more and more fat is stored, that cannot be easily used up, your weight builds up.

High fat diets also interfere with the body’s insulin mechanism, increasing the risk of diabetes. In addition, they damage the immune system, thus reducing the body’s ability to resist cancer and other diseases.

Almost everyone can benefit from cutting back on unhealthy fat. If you currently eat a lot of fat, commit to cutting back and changing your habits. Unhealthy fats include items such as dark chicken meat; poultry skin; fatty cuts of pork, beef, and mutton; as well as high-fat dairy foods (whole milk, butter, cheeses). Ways to cut back on unhealthy fats include the following:

* Rather than frying meat, bake, grill, or broil it. Take off the skin before cooking chicken or turkey. Try eating fish at least once a week.
* Reduce any extra fat which includes butter on bread or sour cream on baked potatoes and salad dressings. Use low-fat or nonfat versions of these foods.
* Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables with your meals and as snacks.

Physical activity
We should use at least 30 minutes daily for physical activity. These activities include but are not limited to aerobics, skipping, dancing, running, walking, swimming, or playing some outdoor sport. Physical activity helps us to maintain a healthy body weight and lowers our risk of becoming overweight and obese.

It reduces our risk of cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome, and limits our risk of some cancers. Being physically active strengthens our bones and muscles and improves our mental health and mood. In an older person, physical activity improves our ability to do daily activities and prevents falls and at the same time basically increases our chances of living longer, while enjoying a better quality of life.

Switching to a healthy diet does not have to be an all-or-nothing proposition. You don’t have to be perfect; you don’t have to completely eliminate foods you enjoy; and you don’t have to change everything all at once. Such actions usually lead to cheating or giving up on your new eating plan.

As your small changes become habit, you can continue to add healthier choices. Consider the following useful tips:

* Prepare more of your own meals. Cooking more meals at home can help you take charge of what you are eating and better monitor exactly what goes into your food. You will eat fewer calories and avoid the chemical additives, added sugar and salt, and unhealthy fats of packaged and ready-made foods that can leave you feeling tired, bloated, and irritable, and exacerbate symptoms of depression, stress, and anxiety.

* Make the right changes. When cutting back on unhealthy foods in your diet, it is important to replace them with healthy alternatives. Replacing dangerous trans fats with healthy fats (such as switching fried chicken for grilled chicken) will make a positive difference to your health.

* Simplify. Instead of being overly concerned with counting calories, think of your food in terms of colour, variety, and freshness. Focus on avoiding packaged and processed foods and opting for more fresh ingredients.

* Read the labels. Since manufacturers often hide large amounts of sugar or unhealthy fats in packaged food, even food claiming to be healthy, it is important to be aware of what is contained in your food.

* Focus on how you feel after eating. This effort will help foster healthy new habits and tastes. The healthier the food you eat, the better you will feel after a meal. The more junk food you eat, the more likely you are to feel uncomfortable, nauseous, or drained of energy.

* Drink plenty of water. Water helps flush our systems of waste products and toxins, yet many of us go through life dehydrated—causing tiredness, low energy, and headaches. All of our body’s activities depend on water. It is common to mistake thirst for hunger, so staying well hydrated will also help you make healthier food choices.

While attempting to manage our diet during this festive season can be difficult, let us emphasise small changes. Less salt, sugar and fat, and more physical exercise will contribute significantly to the enjoyment of the season.
We at the Ministry of Public Health would like to extend best wishes for the season and wish you all a healthy new year. Remember that healthy eating makes healthy people.